In this activity, students pose several hypotheses for what will happen if you continue heating or supplying energy to the hot and cold planet models (Mercury, Mars, Venus, and Earth) and then test their hypotheses using a spreadsheet based radiation balance model. The activity supports investigation of a real world challenge, experimenting with life support conditions for Mars at an Arctic outpost. The interactive model runs are conducted using a Java applet. This resource includes student worksheets, assessment questions and a teacher's guide. This is Activity B in module 2, Modeling hot and cold planets, of the resource, Earth Climate Course: What Determines a Planet's Climate? The course aims to help students to develop an understanding of our environment as a system of human and natural processes that result in changes that occur over various space and time scales.

In this activity, students explore the importance of adequate sampling strategies when conducting a scientific investigation. They are tasked with determining the average temperature of the Earth, using data sets easily found on the Internet, and determine the kind and size of sample necessary to calculate a representative average. The resource includes a student data sheet and an authentic assessment for the module, where students discuss the establishment of a habitation site on Mars. This is Activity C in module 2, titled "Modeling Hot and Cold Planets," of the resource, Earth Climate Course: What Determines a Planet's Climate? The course aims to help students to develop an understanding of our environment as a system of human and natural processes that result in changes that occur over various space and time scales.

In this activity, students use rulers to measure distances between hypothetical galaxies and then use these distances to calculate the velocities of the galaxies. This activity is part of the "Cosmic Questions" educator's guide that was developed to support the Cosmic Questions exhibit. This activity can be in conjunction with, or independently of, the exhibit.

The purpose of this kinesthetic activity is for students to learn the relative motions of the Earth, Sun and Moon. Awareness of these different motions is needed to develop an understanding of the causes of the day/night cycle, the seasons and the cycle of lunar phases. This resource is from PUMAS - Practical Uses of Math and Science - a collection of brief examples created by scientists and engineers showing how math and science topics taught in K-12 classes have real world applications.

In this activity students are challenged to create a model of the universe in a single class period. This activity is designed to elicit student ideas and preconceptions about the contents and organization of the cosmos. Most students will be somewhat familiar with solar system objects, but may be confused about the relationship of stars to planets, and about their relative distances. This activity is part of the "Cosmic Questions Educator's Guide" developed to support the Cosmic Questions exhibit. The activites in the guide can be used in conjunction with or independently of the exhibit.

This is an activity about the lunar cycle and the pattern of the moon‰Ûªs motion in our sky. Learners will use the Sky Tonight online program to observe the different phases of a lunar month and predict where the moon will be in the night sky throughout the month. This activity requires the use of a computer with Internet access, and is Sky Tonight Activity 4 in a larger resource, Space Update.

In this activity, students compute the strengths of the gravitational forces exerted on the Moon by the Sun and by the Earth, and demonstrate the actual shape of the Moon's orbit around the Sun. The lesson begins with students' assumptions about the motions of the Moon about the Earth and the Earth about the Sun, and then test their understanding using an experimental apparatus made from a cardboard or plywood disk and rope. This resource is from PUMAS - Practical Uses of Math and Science - a collection of brief examples created by scientists and engineers showing how math and science topics taught in K-12 classes have real world applications.

This is an activity about the phases of the moon. Learners will view and identify images of the different phases and measure the moon's size in each. This activity is Astronomy Activity 5 in a larger resource, Space Update.

Learners will work in teams to apply their knowledge about the Moon, its environment, and the LRO mission to match responses to Moon questions. With the correct responses, they build a picture of the Moon. This activity is part of Explore! To the Moon and Beyond! - a resource developed specifically for use in libraries.

This is a lesson about NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO). Learners will sing about the LRO mission to the Moon, learn that craters on the Moon may harbor water ice, and they discover how LRO is searching for this and other resources needed to build future lunar outposts. This is a good introductory activity. This activity is part of Explore! To the Moon and Beyond! - a resource developed specifically for use in libraries.

This is an activity about gravity. Learners will design their own experiments to explore the fundamental force of gravity and then extend their thinking to how gravity acts to keep objects like moons and ring particles in orbit. They use the contexts of the solar system and the Saturn system to explore the nature of orbits. The lesson enables students to correct common misconceptions about gravity and orbits and to learn how orbital speed decreases as the distance from the object being orbited increases. This is lesson 3 of 6 in the Saturn Educators Guide.

This module focuses on the population of mountain gorillas living in the central highland area of Africa. The module looks at human activity around the gorilla habitat and how that activity is threatening the survival of the remaining gorillas.

In this activity, students learn about the changing configuration of the continents over geological time resulting from plate tectonics. Using a map pair, students measure the difference in distance between continents 94 million years ago and today, and calculate the speed at which the plates have moved. The resource includes the images and a student worksheet. This is an activity from Space Update, a collection of resources and activities provided to teach about Earth and space. Summary background information, data and images supporting the activity are available on the Earth Update data site.

In this activity, students explore images taken with telescopes sensitive to several different wavelengths of the electromagnetic spectrum. Students compare the images to determine that light carries information about physical features in the universe. Students also determine that, because light of different wavelengths comes from different physical sources, combining multiwavelength views helps astronomers develop a more complete picture of the universe and the objects in it. This activity is one of several in the "Cosmic Questions Educator's Guide," a guide developed to support the Cosmic Questions exhibit. The activities in the guide can be used either in conjunction with or independently of the exhibit.

In this activity students construct multiplying slide rules scaled in Base-10 exponents and use them to calculate products and quotients. They will come to appreciate that super numbers (exponents, orders of magnitude and logarithms) play by different rules of arithmetic than ordinary numbers (numbers, powers of ten and antilogs).åÊåÊThis is activity A2 in the "Far Out Math" educator's guide. Lessons in the guide include activities in which students measure,compare quantities as orders of magnitude, become familiar with scientific notation, and develop an understanding of exponents and logarithms using examples from NASA's GLAST mission. These are skills needed to understand the very large and very small quantities characteristic of astronomical observations. Note: In 2008, GLAST was renamed Fermi, for the physicist Enrico Fermi.

Dieter Hartmann, a high-energy physicist, presents a story-based lesson on the science of Gamma-Ray astronomy. The lesson focuses on gamma-ray bursts; examining their sources, types, and links to the origin and evolution of the Universe. The story-based format of the lesson also provides insights into the nature of science. Students answer questions based on the reading guide. A list of supplemental websites is also included.

This story-based lesson presents information on the early investigation into solar and cosmic X-rays, as well as the scientists working in pursuit of X-ray detection and imaging, that set the stage for a program of space-based astronomy. The lesson is narrated by Dr. Herbert Friedman, and includes information on his work, as well as his childhood, home life, and interests while a college student.

This is a lesson about the Cassini Spacecraft. Learners will engage in basic problem-solving as they design and construct their own small model of a spacecraft. Through writing and illustration, students will document their work and will complete a Design Review Summary. Like scientists and engineers, students will make presentations to show and explain their models and design summaries to their peers. This is lesson 5 of 10 in the Mission to Saturn Educators Guide, Reading Writing Rings, for grades 1-2.

This is a lesson about spacecraft design. Learners will hear the NASA solutions to the problems they wrote about lesson 6. They will then write a nonfiction piece comparing their spacecraft to Cassini, and share their writing with the class. This introduction to design prepares students for the task of trying to design a working model of a probe to land on Saturn‰Ûªs moon, Titan. This is lesson 7 of 12 in the Mission to Saturn Educators Guide, Reading Writing Rings, for grades 3-4.

This is a lesson about spacecraft design. Learners will think like engineers as they are presented with problems that the NASA team faced when designing a spacecraft to travel to Saturn. Students work with partners to think of solutions to address those problems, and to use these ideas to sketch their spacecraft. This is lesson 6 of 12 in the Mission to Saturn Educators Guide, Reading Writing Rings, for grades 3-4.